19:20
Gaelle So
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Let me introduce you to the best vegetarian balls I've had (so far). I have tried a few recipes to make vegetarian "meatballs" : some were crumbly, some were too soft, some were not that tasty. Well, these little ones are just perfect : they hold really well together, they're crispy and golden on the outside, and still soft on the inside, and they're packed with delicious flavours. The combination of red lentils and quinoa helps binging all the ingredients together really well, without having to add any egg or flour.I have decided to go for "indian" style flavours in this recipe, with a fragrant mix of garam masala, cumin, tomato and coriander. It goes really well with this creamy, spicy and coconuty tomato sauce.You could also change the whole game and flavour the "meatballs" with italian herbs, or even add some chopped olives, and serve it with a roasted tomato and red pepper sauce, or some homemade pesto.

For the lentil balls : put the lentils in a pot, cover with 750ml of cold water , cover with a lid, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, and cook for 5 minutes. After that time, add the quinoa to the lentils, and leave it to cook for another 15 minutes. Take it off the heat, drain any excess water using a strainer, and set aside to cool completely.

Put a pan on medium-high heat and toast the walnuts for a few minutes until they just start to colour. Chop finely and set aside.Preheat the oven to 190°C.

In a large bowl, mix the cooled quinoa and lentils, chopped walnuts, chopped onion and garlic, coriander, cumin, garam masala, sundried tomato ketchup or tomato paste, chia seeds, and season with some salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together so all the flavours are evenly distributed and the mix ressembles "ground meat". You could also use a food processor for this step, pulsing the mix a few times until homogenous.Scoop a small amount (about the size of a golf ball) of the lentil mix with a little spoon and roll between your hands to form even balls, put them on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with the remaining lentil mix. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the balls are golden and crispy on the outside.Prepare the sauce while the lentils are cooking.Heat the coconut oil in a pan, add the onion, garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, making sure to stir it often so it doesn't burn. Add the thai red curry paste, curry powder, pepper and soy sauce, and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, coconut milk and curry leaves. Stir, cover with a lid then let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.Serve the lentil balls with your choice of grain (rice, bulgur, couscous, pasta, mash, polenta...) and top with the curry tomato sauce.